Apparatus for keeping coolthe shaft-bearings in mills



(No Model.)

' F. 0. MATTHI'ESSEN. APPARATUS FOR KEEPING GOOLSTHE SHAFT BEARINGS IN M No. 270,237.

ILLS. Patented Jan. 9,1883.

WITNESSES u bums, PhnlbLilhognphm. Walhimglan. n c,

UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ O. MATTHIESSEN, OF IRVINGTON, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR KEEPING COOLTHESHAF -BEARlNGS IN MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,237, dated January 9, 1883.

Application filed July 26, 18872. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ O. MATTHIESSEN, of lrvington, New .York, have invented Improvements in Apparatus for Keeping 0001 the Shaft-Bearings in Mills, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to prevent any of the shalt-bearings in a mill from ever becoming sufficiently hot to set tire to contiguous objects or to cause the ignition of the inflammable dust which is usually floating in the atmosphere of flooring-mills. Ieifect this object by spraying water upon the caps of all the journals during the time while the mill is in operation. To do this I provide for each bearing a sprinkler or rose-nozzle deriving its supply of w aterfrom an elevated reservoirthrough a suitably-arrangedsystemofdistributing-pipes. Beneath the bearings I arrange drip-pans, and in connection therewith a system of drain-pipes for collecting the cooling-water andconducting. it to a tank at the bottom of the building,from which it is drawn by a steam-pump, which forces it back into the elevated reservoir. The receiving-tank at the bottom of the building is preferably divided into two compartments by means of a vertical partition made of anysuit- 'able porous material, so it may act as a filter,

the drip-water being discharged into one compartment and being filtered in its passage through the vertical partition into the other compartment, from which it is drawn by the steam-pump. The steam-pipe of the pump is provided with a valve, which is operatedby an ordinary centrifugal governor,driven by a belt from any convenient part of the mill-shaftiiig, and so arranged as to close the valve and shut oft steam from the pump when the shafting ceases to revolve and to open the said valve when the shaftin g recommencesits rotation.

The accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, are as follows:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a mill, showing the elevated reservoir and a portion of thesystem ofdistributing-pipes,with the discharge-pipes provided with rose-nozzles for sprinkling water on the caps of the shaft- 'bearings,also showing a portion of the system i of drip-pans anddrain-pipesand the receivingtank into which the drip-water is discharged, together with the steam-pump forpumping the reservoir A.

drip-water back into the elevated reservoir, a steam-en gine being represented for drivin g the mill-shafting. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, upon an enlarged scale,of a section of the mill-shatting, showing one of the bearings provided with asprinkler,drip-tray,&c. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the line a: a: on Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the elevated reservoir A supplies the cooling-water through the discharge-pipe A to the system ol'distributing-pipes a,whi ch in turn supply water to the branch pipes a, provided at their ends, respectively, with the rose-nozzles or sprinklers a The nozzles are respectively located immediately over the bear ings b of the shafting B. The cooling-\vateris discharged from each nozzle upon the cap 0 of the journal-box immediately beneath it, as shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 2 and 3.

The branch pipes a are either made of flexible material or are connected with the distributing-pipe by a swivel'coupling, (1 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that they may be swung out of the way in case necessity arises for the removal of the cap 0.

Beneath each bearing is a drip-tray, c, for collecting the cooling-water which has been sprinkled upon thebearing above it. From the drip-trays the drip-water is conducted by the drain-pipes c to a receiving-tank,D, upon the lower floor or in the cellar ot' the mill. The receiving-tank is. divided into two compartments by a vertical partition, D,ot porous material, to serve the purpose of a filter. The drip-water conducted into the receiving-compartment (Z is filtered in passing through the partition I) into the compartment 01, from which it is drawn by the steam-pump E and forced up through the pipee into the elevated The steam-pipe E of the pump is provided with a steam-valve, which is operated by a centrifugal governor, E of ordinary construction. The governor E is driven by a belt, E from the millshafting. In the drawings the mill-shafting is represented as being driven by a steam-en gine, F. It will of course be understood that it may be driven by water up on either side and over the top of the shaft, and is curved so as to presenta concave surface toward the collar B. By this construction any of the cooling-water which may fall upon the shaft on either side of the bearing is thrown oft by centrifugal force against the shield 13*, and, being thereby caught, is directed into the drip-tray.

In operation, when the shaft-ingis running, a given quantity of water for sprinkling and cooling thejournals is kept in constant circulation, subject only to such loss as may ensue from evaporation,such' loss being made up by the supply of the receiving-tank D with the required quantity of waterfrom an outside source. Dust, which would otherwise collect upon the caps of the shaft-journal, is washed oif by the cooling-water and conducted by the drain-pipes c to the receiving-compartment d ofthe receiving-tankl). The solid matter which may settle in the compartmentd, or which may be retained therein by the filter-partition D,is removed therefrom from time to time, as may be required.

It will of course be seen that if there is an ample supply of water, with a head sufficient of itself to carry the water up into the elevated reservoir A, the pump E may be dispensed with, and the valve operated by the governor E may in that case be applied to the water service-pipe instead of to the steam-pipe ot the pump, as shown. Thus, assuming the pipe 0 to be the service-pipe, connected with an outside source of water-supply having snfficient head to reach the reservoir A, the governor E driven by a belt from some convenient portion of the mill-shafting, would be transferred toa valve inserted in the pipete. In this case the drain-pipe a would be connected with a sewer or outside drain for carrying off the drip-water. Under ordinary circumstances, owing to the cost of water, it will be more economical to employ the steam-pump, as shown, and thus use the cooling-water over and over, as has been described.

I claim as my-invention- The apparatus for keeping shaftbearings cool herein described, which consists essentially of a system of distributing-pipes, with sprinklers arranged respectively in suitable proximity to the shaft-bearings, and a corresponding system of drip-trays and drain-pipes for collectingand carryingoff the cooli'n gwater discharged upon the hearings, in combination with a valve for controlling the supplyot' cooling-water to the system of distributing-pipes, the said valve heiu g operated by a governor driven by power transmitted from the millshafting, the whole arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

r. o. MATTHIESSEN. Witnesses:

E. H. \VILLIAMS, W M. E. QUIMBSL. 

